The Halloween Tree
by Green Phantom Queen
Summary: Based on Ray Bradbury's 'The Halloween Tree', Valon can't make it to this year's trick-or-treating with his friends. But his friends soon find him amongst a tree filled with pumpkins and running away from a man who traverses through Halloweens of the past
1. Chapter 1: The Surprise

_**All right, I know it's too early for Halloween...but who cares? You're never too old to love holidays like that, right? This story was inspired by 'The Halloween Tree' so it might have some resemblance to the plot.**_

_**Second, the characters are all going to be portrayed a bit differently than usual. I'm sorry, but it's sort of necessary.**_

_**And last, the characters do not belong to me, but they belong to Kazuki Takahashi, and the story basing this belongs to Ray Bradbury...I'm just doing my own interpretation of this project.**_

_**Okay, now we can begin!**_

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**The Halloween Tree**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 1: The Surprise**

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_**In a small town clustered in wilderness, yet still seen amongst the trees and lake surrounding it, it was Halloween. That special holiday—better than Easter, even better than Christmas—was foretold by laughter, sweets and pumpkin spirits floating in the air.**_

_**However, every town has its own secrets. And it just so happens that once every year on All Hallow's Eve, a warlock appears in the deepest and darkest part of town, calling and beckoning children to enter his domain. Anyone who enters never escapes...and even if they did, they never were the same.**_

_**On one particular Halloween, three best friends were out trick-or-treating as they always did. But on that particular night, their lives were changed forever.**_

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"Mom?" cried a voice down in the basement. "Where's my helmet?"

"It's next to your bike, sweetie." replied the mother from the kitchen. "But Alister dear, I thought you were walking."

"I meant my Dyna Dude-Torrent Guy helmet, Mom!" Alister replied with some panic in his voice. The ten-year-old couldn't believe it; he was going to be late for this year's Trick or Treating with Valon and Raphael if he didn't get his costume ready. He grimaced at the thought of Valon rubbing it into his face that he was late—whomever was late was punished by their tradition of wet willies with the two attackers screaming 'Wet Willy, Silly Willy. Never ever late again!'

The young red haired boy was dressed in a white Gundam-like armor with lightning bolts on the back of his gloves and shoes, along with a black chest-plate with silver lightning bolts zigzagging back and forth. He ran a hand through his hair, grey eyes scanning the basement for any sign of the helmet. How could he lose it at a time like this?

"Ahhh..." Alister growled. "I'm doomed! It's wet willies tonight, I swear!"

"Big brother?" whispered a young voice. "Are you looking for this?"

Alister turned around, seeing his younger brother Mikey with his helmet in his hand—a silver motorcycle helmet with a yellow lightning bolt going down the forehead. Mikey himself was dressed in a costume similar to his brother's, except it was blue on the shoulders and feet, but red at the knee-pads and chest-plate. His face was covered by a white helmet while a yellow paper bag was dangling down his left wrist.

"I found this in your room, big brother." Mikey explained. "You must've left it there as you were getting your costume ready."

"Thank you so much, Mikey!" Alister exclaimed, running up to hug his brother. "I owe you big time!"

"Then...can we go see that new Dyna Dude movie on my birthday?"

"Sure! Now come on, let's get going!"

"Yeah! This'll be my first time trick-or-treating, you know."

"All right." said Alister, taking the helmet into his hands and placing it on his head. "Just make sure you stay close by; I don't wanna lose you on a night like this."

"Promise!" said Mikey, crossing his heart. "Cross my heart and hope to die!"

Alister just laughed as he brought an old pillow case in his hand. Tonight was going to be a fun night.

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"Oh, come on Raph!" said the young boy to his brother. "You definitely have to wear the mask."

"You'll look just like a knight in shining armor with it!" the young girl added.

"I don't know guys." said Raphael, staring at himself in the mirror. "It looks...kinda cheesy."

The eleven-year-old looked at his costume; a tuxedo along with a top hat, cape and cane. His hands were covered with white gloves and in one of his hands was a white eye-mask that Julien and Sonia—his younger brother and sister—picked out for him. He placed the mask on his face and stared at his reflections once more.

"Well...a masked magician is still a magician either way." Raphael said to himself. "I guess I can wear it."

"That's the spirit!" said Sonia, dressed in a pink dress with a golden crown on top of her blonde hair. "And he'll sweep all of the girls off of his feet before they know it!"

"And with his hocus pocus powers, he'll defeat anyone who tries to stand in his way!" Julien added, dressed like a vampire with a white blouse, black pants, boots and a cape. When he smiled, it showed the fake fangs that was placed in his mouth. "But Raph, it took you at least five minutes to decide on the mask. It's almost 8!"

"Almost 8?" Raphael exclaimed, turning to see the clock. "Oh no! Bye guys; I have to get going before Val and Alister get there...or else it's wet willies for me!"

"Wet Willy, Silly Nilly! Never ever late again!" Sonia and Julien chanted as their older brother grasped onto his trick or treat bag. "Wet Willy, Silly Nilly! Never ever late again!"

Raphael groaned as his brother and sister continued to chant that rhyme; he was the victim last year because of his decision on bringing a jacket or not. He couldn't let that happen again.

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"Be careful, dear!" said the nun, seeing Valon leaving the chapel. "And please return by dawn!"

"I promise!" said Valon, waving goodbye to his caretaker. Dressed in silver and blue futuristic armor similar to Alister's, he began to race down the street to the meeting place; Clock Tower Square, noted by the tall silver clock surrounded by flowers and shrubs. He laughed as he knew what was happening; it was Halloween, the greatest day of the year. For one day only, he was allowed to roam free and snack on all of the sweets and goodies he would get that evening. Plus, he was hanging out with his best friends and it made it even better.

The three first met when Raphael moved into town about four years ago. Raphael's family was rich and it felt as both Raphael and Valon would not get along due to their upcoming (while Raphael was rich, Valon was an orphan and mostly known for duking it out with bullies on a daily basis.) But the two eventually became close friends, spending time exploring the town and wrestling.

Alister came into town on Halloween a year later. His mother was divorced and wanted to make a fresh start so he and Mikey were taken in. It was there that Valon instigated the infamous 'Wet Willy' attack that made him and Alister slowly become friends, the same incident that they repeated to each other whenever one would arrive late. The two were inseparable, with Alister sent by his mother to give him some baked goodies for him to snack on, and Valon being paid every now and then to babysit Mikey when Alister was off doing some strange errand. All in all, life was good.

Valon rushed toward the square, panting for breath as he sat at one of the benches. Surrounding him were young kids dressed in costumes and masks, talking and laughing away. The wind was blowing gently, swaying the trees whose autumn leaves began raining down upon the town. Pumpkins and witches and ghosts...tonight this air was filled something magical.

"Phew!" he cried, lifting his helmet to wipe the sweat off his forehead. "I made it...and that means both Alister and Raphael..."

"Right here!" said Alister, from behind, looking down at Valon. Valon screamed as he saw Alister grin at him. "And you're late."

"No I'm not." said Valon. "Raph's not here either!"

"I'm here, alright." said Raphael to the right of the spiky brunette boy. "And you know what that means..."

Alister grinned, sticking a finger in his mouth before pulling it out. Likewise, Raphael did the same thing (but only after he pulled the glove off). Valon gulped as he felt wet fingers in his ears.

"Wet Willy, Silly Nilly! Never ever late again!" Alister and Raphael chanted before bursting into a fit of laughter. Valon snarled, but couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Fine, you got me." said Valon, standing up. "Guess that means that we've already been Wet Willied once."

"Coincidence, don't you think?" said Raphael, slipping his glove back into his hand once more "But then again, you were the one who brought out the idea."

"Speaking of ideas." said Alister, noticing Valon's outfit. "You stole my costume!"

"No I didn't!" Valon rebutted. "I'm Silver Guard from _Masked Biker_! And you're a Lightning Lord ripoff!"

"I'm not Lightning Lord! I'm Dyna Dude-Torrent Guy from _Dyna Dude-Storm Rangers_! And he can totally defeat Silver Guard in one-on-one match!"

"No he can't! Torrent Guy has to rely on Sonic Shooter to back him up; without him, he's useless!"

"Take that back!" Alister growled.

"Make me." Valon replied with a grin.

"Guys, knock it off." Raphael exclaimed, getting in-between his friends. "We're wasting time here; if we don't get a move on it, we're not going to get any candy."

"He's right, big brother!" said Mikey, who was standing behind Alister the whole time. "And I have to meet up with my friends."

"Then it looks like we're going to the upper part of the neighborhood as our first stop." said Valon. "And it's about time too; I'll be the first to get one of those Duel Monster card packets out of all of us!"

"Still trying to complete that Armor collection?" asked Alister.

"Of course!" Valon answered back, pulling out a deck of cards from a plastic bag. "My Armor Deck is missing that final card; Psychic Armor Head! Without it, my armor would fall apart."

"Because it needs a brain, right?" Alister asked sarcastically.

"Yeah! It needs a—hey!"

Alister just snickered before running off.

"Last one to the Game Shop is a Kuriboh!" He cried.

"Come back here, big brother!" said Mikey as the rest began to head off for their night of sweets.

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The upper part of the neighborhood was already dressed in Halloween decorations. Orange and black paper lanterns swayed amongst the glow of the shining lamp posts while porches had grinning jack-o-lanterns greet the younger kids. Running around from house to house were boys and girls dressed in costumes and masks while carrying bags of sweets. Some of the houses were swathed in darkness, but if they were it was because the family inside them were out trick-or-treating.

The four boys soon made it to the Game Shop, eagerly waiting for their first treats for the evening. The Game Shop, run by old Solomon Muto, was already having its share of 'first come, first serve' as children were lining up to get sweets and booster packs for their decks. Valon was waiting in anticipation behind a smaller group of boys, eager to finally get his deck completed. In a few seconds, it was their turn for treats.

"Mr. Muto! Mr. Muto!" Valon cried, jumping into the air. "I'm here!"

"Why, if it isn't young Valon?" said Solomon, chuckling to see the young spiky brunette approaching him. "How's that deck of yours going?"

"Almost complete!" Valon answered. "All I need now is that elusive Psychic Armor Head and that'll be it."

"If he even gets one, I'll hand him all of my Cherry Bombers before we leave for home." Alister whispered to Raphael. "Psychic Armor Heads are hard to come by."

"I heard that!" said Valon, turning to his friend. "And let's sweeten the deal; I'll give up my Lemon Smashers if I don't get a single Psychic Armor Head tonight."

"Deal!" said Alister, the two boys shaking on it. Raphael just sighed as Mikey looked on in confusion.

"Does my brother always do something like this?" asked the younger boy.

"Lots and lots of times." Raphael answered in reply.

Solomon gave the four a beaming smile as he placed a goodie bag into each of their baskets. Valon immediately dove into his, seeing a few pierces of candy and a booster pack inside.

"The moment of truth." He whispered, untying the ribbon that kept all of the contents inside the bag together. "Here it comes..."

Placing the candy back inside his bag, Valon took the booster pack into his hands and tore it open. Inside were five Duel Monster cards...one of them had to be the card he was searching for.

"Well?" asked Alister, silently praying that he didn't have to give his favorite candy to Valon. "What'd you get?"

Valon's eyes widened in surprise as he let out a happy cry, jumping up and down. In his hand was a Psychic Armor Head card.

"I did it!" He cried. "I finally got the elusive card! And now your Cherry Bombers are mine, Alister!"

Alister moaned, knowing he wasn't going to hear the end of it this for the rest of the evening. Raphael just placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look at it this way." He stated. "At least you weren't betting those Exploding Pebbles you like so much."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Alister said in reply, seeing Valon jumping up and down with delight. "The guy's been through so much, it's the least I can do."

Raphael nodded his head, recalling the stories Valon told him about his childhood. Orphaned at the age of three, he was staying with a kind nun in the church where he helped out with the other kids. Unfortunately, Valon was also a fighter and would often get into a lot of scuffles to prove his point. He didn't have a lot of friends, but if he could find one, then Valon would do anything he could to protect them.

The three boys had a bond that couldn't be broken—if it wasn't for Valon bringing them together, who knows what would've happened to them all. And yet...and yet they wanted to help their friend. For the past couple of days, Valon was having nausea and vomiting. The nun back at the old church was trying her hardest to help the poor boy...but it looked like he was gravely ill.

"I did it! I did it!" Valon cried. "I-"

Suddenly, he fell to the ground, clutching his stomach and was moaning in pain. Slowly, he tried to stand up, but had a hand on his forehead.

"I don't feel so good..." Valon muttered. "I feel like I'm gonna...like I'm gonna..."

He threw up. The sounds of retching was heard as bile and vomit escaped his throat. Alister and Raphael looked away—Alister placing a hand in front of his brother's face.

"Eww..." Alister moaned. "What did you eat?"

"I don't know..." Valon gasped out, once he stopped throwing up. "I feel like I'm gonna die."

Solomon immediately raced to phone, dialing 911. He knew things were going to turn out bad.

"Hello operator?" The old man said in the receiver. "Please come to my address; a poor kid is suffering through something bad."

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Ten minutes later, an ambulance arrived. Valon was already taken in, moaning in pain as Alister, Raphael and Mikey looked on.

"Get well soon, Valon!" said Mikey, waving a hand goodbye. "After all, big brother owes you candy!"

"I'll try..." Valon replied with a cough. "And besides, I promised to duel Alister once my Armor deck was complete and I'm not breaking my promise."

"Good luck." said Alister, placing Valon's trick-or-treat bag onto the boy's stomach. "Enjoy your reward."

"Thanks, mate." Valon whispered. "Just go on with your trick-or-treating without me. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"asked Raphael. "We've never went trick-or-treating without you, you know."

"If you keep on worrying about little ol' me, then you won't be going out bobbing for apples or getting lollipops and Vanilla Clusters. Besides, I'll be fine. There'll be other Halloweens after this one."

That was the last Valon said as the doors to the back of the ambulance closed and its siren began to wail. Then, it sped off to the hospital, leaving everyone to return to their business of candy and Halloween festivities.

"So..." said Mikey. "What do we do now?"

"Do what we always do whenever Valon can't make it to something." Alister answered. "We...go on without him."

Raphael slightly nodded his head to reply. Still, even with Alister's answer...he could feel the red head also worried about Valon's condition. Was Valon going to survive whatever was ailing him? He hoped so.

"Come on!" said Mikey, pointing to a house across the street. "Let's go to Téa's house and see if she's got those yummy cookies to give out!"

"I don't know," said Alister. "Téa really doesn't like me all that much."

"Was it because of that time-"

"Don't ever mention that again." said Alister, interrupting his brother. "Just never mention it again, okay?"

"Oh." said Mikey, nodding his head. "Okay."

"You heard what Valon said." said Raphael, his lips turning into a smile. "Onward to trick-or-treating."

"Yeah." Alister whispered, still feeling as if something bad was going to happen. "Let's...go."

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Three hours had passed since the ambulance took Valon away. Alister, Mikey and Raphael were already down at their neighborhood for treats, stopping once at Alister's house for a small snack.

"My bag's getting heavy." said Mikey, catching up with his brother. "We got so much candy!"

"I know." Alister replied, biting into his candy apple. "It amazes me how people love Halloween here."

"Everyone loves Halloween." Raphael added. "Valon loves it the most though; only because he gets to be free and not be cooped up at the church from dusk till dawn.."

"But there has to be a way that Valon can be free like that all the time!" said Mikey. "Is there a way?"

"Not unless someone adopts him." Alister replied. "According to the nun, she stated that no one wants Valon because of his 'rough-housing and tendency to get into fights'. But if those people can just get through his dirt-stained face, they'll see someone who just wants a mother and father. It's kind of sad when you think about it."

"Hey! You three!"

The three boys turned around, seeing a young girl in a violet cloak and witch hat riding to them on her bicycle. She also had long blonde hair and orchid eyes that were staring at them with intense fury. Attached to the sides of her bike were two broomsticks.

"Oh great." said Alister with some annoyance. "It's Mai."

Mai pressed the brakes of her bike, stopping a few inches from the three. In one of her hands was a piece of paper.

"Tell that spiky friend of yours to stop playing pranks on me!" Mai snarled, shoving the piece of paper into Raphael's chest. "That little creep thinks he can tape this to my back while I'm getting candy. The nerve!"

"But Miss Mai." said Mikey, hiding behind his older brother. "Valon was sent to the hospital a couple of hours ago. He couldn't have been with you."

"Huh?" asked Mai, blinking a bit. "What did you say?"

"My brother's speaking the truth." said Alister. "Valon started throwing up and had stomach pains, so Mr. Muto called an ambulance and it picked him up."

"But he was right there!" Mai exclaimed. "He looked as pale as a ghost, and then he ran off. Then I noticed the letter."

"Are you sure it was Valon?" asked Alister. "What was his costume?"

"It looked similar to yours, actually." Mai answered, pointing to the red haired boy's costume. "It was silver and blue, sort of like something from that action show."

"You mean _Masked Biker_!" Mikey exclaimed. "Then that had to be Valon! He was the only person who was dressed like that in the whole neighborhood!"

"Take a look at this, Alister." said Raphael, reading the letter out loud. "'Dear Al and Raph, sorry for spoiling your fun.'"

"'I'm at the hospital, something about 'appendicitis'.'" Alister continued, taking the letter into his hands.

"'Don't worry about me. Signed, Valon'." Mikey ended. "Alister, what's appendicitis?"

"I don't know." said Alister. "But I heard you could die from that."

"'P.S.'" said Mai, reading the last part of the letter. "'Go ahead without me. I'll catch up. Ready, set, go?'"

"But this can't be right." said Raphael. "He's been at the hospital for three hours, and even if he was well, he'd be kept there until morning."

"...There's a shortcut to the hospital." said Alister, slipping the letter into his bag. "Come on."

"But Alister," Mikey gulped. "Mom said not to go that way. You know...because of the warlock."

"That superstition?" said Mai. "As long as you stay with me, nothing can harm you."

"Except her probably." Raphael whispered to Alister.

"And besides, you heard what Valon said." Mai added, ignoring Raphael's comment about her. "Ready...set...go!"

With that cry, the four soon ventured toward the short cut, in hopes of making sure their friend was alright.


	2. Chapter 2: The Old House

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**The Halloween Tree**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 2-The Old House**

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Night began to descend upon the town as the four trick-or-treaters ran and biked toward the shortcut. Alister was leading the way, pointing to where the shortcut was, his free hand grasping onto his brother's in a firm grip as Raphael and Mai tried their hardest to catch up. Bags of candy kept inside the basket of Mai's bike, the thoughts of sugary sweets and fun were all ignored as they raced to find their fallen friend.

"Valon's going to be so surprised when he sees us!" said Mikey. "But...he did say to go on without us."

"He'll be even more surprised when he sees us with all this 'Get Well Soon' candy we're gonna give him, Mikey." Alister replied with a grin. "Now come on!"

"If you don't slow down, we're going to need to get well!" Raphael remarked, grasping onto the top hat on his head. "Stop!"

Alister immediately skid to a halt, seeing the ravine down below, the dirt road darkened by the evening sky. Soon after, Mai and Raphael stopped in their tracks, trying to see whatever the red head was seeing.

"There it is." Alister panted, pointing to the road. "The shortcut...to the hospital."

"Are you crazy, Alister?" Raphael exclaimed. "You want us to go through the ravine? No way...I'll stick to any other shortcut _**except**_ the ravine!"

"It's scary..." Mikey whimpered. "I wanna go home."

"We can't go home right now because...Hey wait!" said Alister. "There he is!"

Down on the road was Valon, running through the road. He looked as if he was running on mist, his whole body being a pale and ghostly white. What made it stranger...was that his silver and blue costume was nowhere to be found.

"That doesn't look like Valon." said Mai. "He didn't look like that much of a ghost...and he had his costume on when I saw him."

"It must be the moonlight." Raphael suggested. "That's all."

"Valon's safe and fine, guys." said Alister. "That's all that matters."

"But what about him in the hospital?" asked Mikey.

"Don't you get it?" Alister exclaimed. "He's well! He just got a small bug and so the doctors gave him some medicine and he's up and running again. He must've gotten released around the time Mai met up with us and gave us the letter."

The red head lifted his helmet and cupped his hands near his mouth, magnifying his voice.

"Valon, you hedgehog!" Alister cried. "Come back here! Where's your costume? Don't tell me you had to ditch it because of the vomit! Wait up!"

Alister, with a grin on his face, soon jumped down into the ravine, his feet bouncing with every step he took. His grey eyes flickered with excitement in catching up with his friend.

"Not you too!" said Raphael, following in hot pursuit of both of his friends. Mikey was trembling in fear, not liking the site of dead trees, blackened grass and mist in front of him.

"I'm scared." The young boy whimpered. "I don't wanna go!"

"We have to." said Mai, placing a hand on her bike seat. "Now hop on and hold on tight. This is going to be a bumpy ride."

Mikey slowly nodded his head, wrapping his arms around Mai's waist. The blonde witch took a deep breath as she began to pedal her bike down the cliff side, the wheels bumping against a root so the bike jumped a few inches into the air, before clattering down the dirt road, heading towards the ravine.

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The ravine. Swathed in shadows, darkness and all things spooky, the four children continued to run. Filled inside this darkened area were all types of darkness: night and shadow, toadstools and ravens. Trees with shifted branches and dead of leaves tried to trap and ensnare the four, the wind whispering words of beckoning.

_Come..._ the wind said. _Come, stay...linger and hide...hide here forever...never go...stay...stay..._

Raphael's cape got stuck in a couple of branches, causing the young boy to rip it off. Scraps of the black fabric remained, as a memorial of the trees nearly capturing their prey for all eternity. His cane was used as a sword, chopping down any branch so it could be used as kindle for a fire or for children to use as sticks. But he kept going, hoping to catch up to his friends in the chances that they haven't done anything stupid.

Alister made it to the end of the ravine, panting for breath. He gasped as the rest of the gang caught up with him. Raphael looked up, taking a step back.

"Alister, I know you know how much I don't believe in haunted houses." The blonde boy began. "But _**that**_ is definitely a haunted house!"

The house...standing at least three floors high, and as dark as pitch. It was as if someone grabbed black marble or obsidian and carved it into this strange macabre edifice. Spiraling to the sky were hundreds of chimneys, smoke billowing from the tops and snuffing any leftover light in the sky with darkness. The four approached it with caution, traversing through dead trees and yellow grass before arriving at the porch.

"Now what?" asked Mikey with fear in his voice.

Alister swallowed hard and took a step forward. When his foot touched the first step of the porch, a small ominous organ tune was played, the step slowly wobbling a bit at his touch. The red head looked up, seeing the number of stairs he still had to climb.

"Come on!" said Mai. "This is no time to back down! Remember? Ready, set, go!"

The four immediately climbed the twisted steps of the porch, the organ music floating in the wind and growing louder and louder with each and every step. They grabbed onto each other, supporting one another in the chance one would collapse or one would run away. Their breaths came out in short puffs as they finally took the last step and landed near the front door, hearts beating against their chests.

Mai turned, seeing a knocker with a gruesome face set in iron greeting them, beckoning them to come knock on it.

"A Marley knocker." She gasped out. "Like from that old Dickens story..."

"Who's opening it then?" Raphael gulped. No one answered, everyone staring at each other, too scared to say something.

"I-I'll do it..." Mikey whimpered, stepping toward the door. He grasped onto the nose of the ugly and hideous face, a roar escaping the mouth before he stepped back, the knocker slamming shut as he did. Then, it happened...tremors amongst the Earth's crust that shook the foundation of the house. Steam and smoke escaped the gutters and cracks of the aching roof, and the wooden boards of the porch and steps collapsed, preventing an escape.

"Oops." said Mikey, seeing what had transpired. "Sorry guys..."

_**Enter...**_ announced a deep voice as the door to the house opened. A burst of wind, blowing Raphael and Mai's hats into the darkness of the house blew past by, the rustling of autumn leaves dancing alongside the gale as it head towards the four.

"Oh my gosh..." Raphael gasped out, just as the wind started to force them in. Alister grabbed onto one of the pillars of the porch, his brother grasping onto his free hand. Raphael tried to grab onto Mai, but she was pushed inside the evil looking abode. The wind did not cease in its goal, eventually taking three boys into the house. Mai was grasping onto the door frame, while Alister, Mikey and Raphael grabbed onto each others legs, forming some sort of human ladder. Eventually, with one final push the wind succeeded in getting the four inside the house, the children collapsing onto the old and dusty wooden floor with discomfort. The door then closed as the wind died down.

Inside the house sat a couple of sofas covered in cobwebs, chairs with red seats coated with a fine layer of dust, and a grandfather clock frozen with its hands near the twelve. Alister helped his brother up as he coughed off any dust that might've entered his throat. Raphael was next to stand, lifting his mask so he could see things better.

"This is the last time I'm ever going trick-or-treating with you three." Mai snarled, making sure no dust settled onto her costume. "Trust a boy to get me in trouble."

Suddenly, there was a growl. The four looked up, seeing a figure emerging from the shadows. It was a man, with aqua colored hair with spiky bangs and golden eyes. The man was dressed in a white coat with long sleeves with an aqua blue trim at the sleeves with a white cape tied to the coat. Dangling around his neck was a golden pocket watch with a six-pointed star engraved in the metal. His face was set into a look of fury and anger when he saw his uninvited guests.

"Why have you disrupted me and my business?" He asked as he approached the four. The young children tried to explain their situation, but nothing escaped their lips.

"Uh...please, sir." Mikey began before the man let out a snarl. "Trick...or treat?"

"I have no time for this." The golden orb man muttered, opening the lid of his pocket watch, seeing the second hand tick away.

"But sir, it's Halloween and..." said Mikey.

"So, you thought you could trick me, right? Well..." The man leaned close to the boy's face, eyes staring at Mikey like a snake. "What would a proper treat be, hmm?"

"Well, we saw our friend ran into this house." Alister answered. "If you would be so kind, to let him out...then that could be our treat."

"Yeah." Everyone added, just as the chair next to Mai started to wobble. The violet witch turned to it...but it wasn't moving. It must've been her imagination then.

"I'm wasting my time." The man groaned. "You four...get out."

"But sir..." said Raphael.

"Get out!" The man repeated, walking away.

"And without a name?" Alister exclaimed. "Who are you?"

The white robed man paused and turned around, replying to the boy with one word. "Dartz."

"Darts?" Mai repeated. "What kind of a stupid name is that?"

Dartz frowned, his eyes somewhat glowing amidst the darkness in the room. Thunder and lightning clashed as Mikey immediately stepped back, not knowing of the chair behind him. He leaned back onto the seat and tipped it over...

But not before seeing a ghostly image of Valon stepping to the side of the chair. His eyes were wide with fear as he let out a startled scream. Everyone turned their attention to the scene in front of them.

"V-valon?" Mikey squeaked out. "Is that...you? You're a ghost..."

Valon didn't say anything, but brought a hand out to help the boy out.

"Not so fast, boy." said Dartz, raising a hand. "You're not going anywhere; we still have an appointment, you and I."

Valon stuck his tongue at Dartz childishly before running toward a door. Opening it, he continued to run, not even stopping to say hello to his friends. Dartz growled as he stared at Mikey.

"Now see what you've done?" He hissed.

"Leave my brother out of this!" said Alister, stepping in-between the two."Now what's going on with you and Valon?"

A shadow soon appeared amongst the room. Alister turned around, seeing Valon's ghostly form running across the porch, heading toward something.

"After him!" He cried, rushing toward the window and jumping toward it. There was the sound of glass shattering as shards of glass fell onto the porch like rain. His brother and friends traveled through the opened front door, in an attempt to capture Valon.

Alister immediately stopped when he saw the trunk of a powerful tree appear in his line of vision. Mikey, Raphael and Mai also looked up, gasping to see that the tree's powerful branches were not bearing leaves...but jack-o'lanterns.

"Just look at them all..." Mikey gasped out. "It's a pumpkin tree..."

"Not exactly," said Dartz, standing at the balcony high above them. "It's a Halloween Tree!"

The four looked up, seeing jack-o'lanterns grinning broadly at its audience, flickers of candlelight lit the ghoulish eyes and smiling mouths. Thousands of pumpkins, with twice as many eyes swaying in the breeze. No jack-o'lantern was alike; each pumpkin had a different set of eyes, nose and mouth, as if to differentiate from one another.

Valon poked his head from the side of the house and ran toward the tree, not even seeing the looks of shock and fright on his friends' faces.

"Valon, we're over here!" said Raphael.

"Where are you going?" asked Mikey.

"Why's he climbing up that tree?" asked Mai, seeing the brown spiky haired boy slowly grasping onto the trunk and clawing his way up. Valon grunted, with each step he took, the jack-o'lantern's surrounding him began to light up as if they were lights on a Christmas tree.

"Stay back!" commanded Dartz. "I mean it!"

Valon ignored the older man's cry, his frail body swinging side to the side as he grasped onto a thick branch to stand upon.

"It's too high, Valon!" Raphael exclaimed. "Get down from there now!"

"What are you even doing up here?" asked Alister. "What's..." He gasped when he saw the tallest part of the tree. Underneath the light of the pale glowing full moon, was a jack-o'lantern swaying through a breeze of oak leaves. It looked exactly like Valon, the orange gourd even had his front bangs and gaping smile!

"That pumpkin!" Mikey exclaimed. "It looks just like Valon..."

Valon continued to climb, dangling on the branch that was carrying that particular pumpkin. Three jack-o'lanterns near him snapped off and fell to the ground below, being saved by the large pile of autumn leaves to cushion their fall. Dartz let out an angry cry, his hands raised in the air as gusts of wind flew toward the unsuspecting boy. Undaunted, Valon continued to climb.

"We better go after him." said Alister, as he and the others ran toward the tree. "Valon's good at climbing up, not so good when he's going down."

"Don't you dare get near him!" Dartz yelled. "You've interfered with this long too far!"

Ignoring the man's cry, Alister climbed up the tree, his feet being used to help him stay up.

"Stay there, Val!" The red haired boy cried. "We're here to rescue you!"

As Valon neared his jack-o'lantern, it began to sing. It rocked gently from side to side by the wind as the boy took it into his arms.

"Gotcha..." He whispered, cradling the gourd as it was a treasure. Dartz's anger began to intensify as the winds began to blow harsher than before, nearly knocking twenty more pumpkins to their demise.

"You've had your fun." The older man growled. "Now bring that pumpkin to me."

Valon shook his head in refusal before dropping to the ground below. He was a blur to Alister's eye before he splashed into the pile of autumn leaves.

"What inexcusable behavior!" Dartz screamed as Alister and the others slid down the tree and began to search through the pile of leaves. Bolts of lightning lit the sky with an intense fervor. With a wave of his hand, a tornado of wind swooped the leaves and carried them away. All that was left of that giant pile were three boys and one girl in costumes.

"Where's Valon?" Raphael exclaimed. "He's gone!"

The four then turned to the whirlwind rising farther and farther and farther into the sky. As it did, a voice was heard.

_Help me..._ croaked the voice. _Help me!_

That was all that was heard as the whirlwind disappeared into the sky. Dartz stepped down, his look of anger boring into the souls of the four children standing near the Halloween Tree.

"Do you four have any idea of what you've just done?" He hissed. "Now my entire night's schedule is ruined!"

"What'd you do with Valon?" asked Alister, pointing a finger at the older man. "Where'd you send him?"

"I didn't send him anywhere." Dartz answered back with an exasperated tone.

"Where is he?" asked Mai, with the same demanding tone Alister had earlier.

"Yeah!" Mikey and Raphael added simultaneously. Dartz just sighed.

"The boy must not have liked my company." He answered. "So he escaped; escaped, might I add, with a pumpkin that is **my** property!"

"Wherever he is, Dartz." Alister growled. "You bring him back right now!"

"Hmph. If only life were that easy." was Dartz's reply, looking up to the sky. Wind was still swirling and whipping in the air, taking leaves along with it.

"By now, Valon's most likely escaped into the undiscovered country." He continued. "No telling how long it'll take for me to find him again."

"Find him?" asked Mikey. "Can we help? We can go with you!"

"Impossible!" Dartz barked back. "You've helped me out quite enough already, thank you."

"But anything's possible on Halloween, right?" Raphael remarked. Dartz turned around.

"And what do you know about Halloween?" He asked. "Four meddlers come barging into my house, not caring who might be in it and then helping that hoodlum steal _**my**_ pumpkin..."

"We're sorry." said Mikey, getting on his hands and knees and hand grasping onto part of Dartz's cloak. "We didn't mean to...it's just...our friend was traveling by and he said he was sick with appendi...appendi..."

"Appendicitis." said Mai.

"Yeah!" said Mikey, looking into Dartz's golden eyes. "So please...let us go with you..."

Dartz stared at the young boy for a moment, tears trickling down Mikey's face. He then rubbed his chin in thought.

"This is a long trip..." He said to himself. "And it's hours before dawn...so we should have enough time, if we fly fast enough..."

"Yes?" said the four children, sounding eager and full of curiosity.

"And far enough..."

"Yes? Yes?"

Dartz's lips turned into a cat like smile at the impatience of the four.

"But before I can finish my sentence..." Dartz announced. "I have a little 'gift' for you all. Your costumes are very flattering, but I have something else in mind.

Autumn leaves gathered and surrounded the four children. In a flash of light, their clothing had changed.

Alister looked at his outfit; he was now dressed in a black bodysuit with green glow-in-the-dark skeletal bones, with a matching green skull mask. When he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, it was smudged with black face-paint.

"W-what the?" He gasped out. "I'm a skeleton."

"Exactly." said Dartz. "What's your name?"

"Alister."

"Know why you're wearing bones, boy?"

"Uh..."

"Didn't think so." Dartz replied with a frown. He then turned to Mikey, who was now dressed in a maroon striped shirt, khaki pants and sneakers. Covering him was gauze around his head, arms and body. "And you..."

"I'm Mikey." Mikey answered as Dartz tugged on one of the bandages.

"Why so dressed up in an ancient mummy's rags?"

"...Because you used your magic to make me like this?"

"Cute, but wrong."

Dartz turned his attention to Raphael, his black tuxedo and cane now a tan cloak with brown at the edges of his sleeves and collar and slits replacing blue eyes. On his back was a pair of gargoyle wings, and on his face was a mask of snarling monster's face with black horns and a mane of blonde fur. Raphael lifted the mask up, his eyes staring into the golden orbs of the older man.

"So, why a monster's face?" Dartz asked the blonde boy. When Raphael didn't reply he turned to Mai, whose violet outfit now had yellow stars and a black cape was draped on her shoulders. On top of her head was a black witch's hat with a regular belt buckle.

"And last but not least..." said Dartz as Mai stared in defiance, hands on her hips. "Why are you wearing the costume of a witch?"

"Because I wanted to be!" Mai snapped back. "Is that good enough?"

"I give you each a question and yet you all fail this simple test, huh?" Dartz exclaimed seeing the four. "All of you dressed up for All Hallow's Eve, and yet you don't even know what, why or even from where...what a pity. All of you dressed up as a skeleton..."

A finger poked Alister's chest.

"Mummy...Witch...and Monster..."

A finger then poked Mai, Mikey and Raphael in the chest soon after.

"However...that can be arranged." Dartz added. "If we travel fast enough and far enough...we might be able to catch Valon, grab his pumpkin fire soul and have a scavenger hunt as well. So you can find out who you are, what you're made of...and retrieve your Valon at the same time.

"Well, will you come with me? And solve three mysteries in one?"

The four turned to each other, all of them unsure of what to do. But it was unanimous when they answered Dartz with an excited and simultaneous, 'Yes!'

"The undiscovered country awaits us then!" Dartz announced with a grin. "Feast your eyes; a thousand Halloweens await us to swallow us whole! And that barn..."

Dartz pointed a finger to the distance. The four tried to peer into the darkness...but they saw nothing. That is...until four bolts of lightning struck, briefly highlighting the imposing figure of the barn.

"On the sides of the barn, are the makings of an October kite. Do you see it?"

Dartz laughed as he began to walk toward their destination.

"This way, Skeleton!" He cried. "This road, Mummy! This fence, Witch! This meadow, Monster! Do you see? Do you see?"

His laughter echoed as the four soon followed the strange man toward the barn, where their midnight journey would begin.


	3. Chapter 3: The Mummy

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**The Halloween Tree**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 3-The Mummy**

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"Just what's at the old barn that Dartz wants us to go there?" asked Mikey, trying his hardest to keep up with his brother. "I mean, don't barns usually have cows and horses and hay? And not...stuff to make a kite with?"

"Don't ask me, Mikey." Alister replied. "But I'm gonna do anything I can to get Valon back; after all I still owe him candy."

"Your bet with Valon is the least of our worries right now." said Raphael. "If we don't get to Valon, you can have all the candy you want and it still won't change the fact that he probably...you know..."

"Knock it off!" Mai snapped at the three. "Valon is fine; he's just scared. I mean, anyone would be scared of some man with golden eyes talking about time and...whatever."

Dartz stopped walking, covering his hair with the hood of his cloak staring at the fence surrounding the barn. Nailed, glued and taped to the rotting boards were shreds and remnants of circus posters. There they were. Animal faces, snarling and roaring and growling, ready to leap off of the pages and become alive once more.

"Now, let's build a kite!" Dartz announced, hands in the air. Blue bolts of lightning appeared, pulling two fence posts wrapped with barbed wire into the air. With a flick of his wrist, the posts were now over each other like a cross, and the barbed wire wrapped around the wood as if it was a giant piece of string. It fell onto the grass with a thud as everyone else gulped.

"Time for you to help." said Dartz with a grin. "Pull those posters off of the walls, and let's get to work."

"Do we...have to?" Mikey gulped. He went toward a torn poster of a lion and slowly inched his fingers toward it. Suddenly, the lion let out a mighty roar nearly escaping its paper confines to bite the boy's hand off. And it wasn't alone; posters of bulls, tigers, elephants, bears and other wild creatures snarled and roared, bolts of lightning striking them. The posters flew toward the base of the kite, attaching themselves to make a monstrous diamond shape. It was a behemoth of a kite, colors and animal parts meshed together, a hybrid of bounded animal claws, eyes and teeth that could not be tamed.

Bolts of lightning illuminated the abandoned barn, the wind whipping in the air once more. Dartz just stared at his handiwork as the monstrosity started to fly in the air...or it tried to.

"Will this thing fly us?" asked Alister, seeing Dartz grasping onto a large piece of rope tied to the kite.

"I thought you'd never ask." Dartz answered.

The kite was soon in the air...but it didn't last long. It soon began to descend into the ground, swooping and weaving through the air.

"We need a tail." said Raphael, pointing to the kite. "It needs one or it won't fly!"

"Coming right up." said Alister, running toward the kite. He climbed up to one of the fence posts and stared as the shadow of the aerodynamic device swooped toward him. He jumped into the air, grasping onto the end of the kite with both of his hands. His body was dangling in the air, but it kept the kite balanced.

"Excellent!" Dartz exclaimed. "Now who's next?"

"I'm next!" said Raphael.

"Not before me!" Mai remarked, the two heading toward the tail. Mikey gulped as he saw his brother swaying to and fro in the wind, before he followed Raphael and Mai.

"Wait for me!" Mikey cried, seeing Mai and Raphael jumping into the air and grabbing onto each others' ankles. He took a leap and grasped onto Raphael's sneakers, the kite soon ascending higher and higher into the air. He looked down to see Dartz running toward them in the ground, one hand on the rope as he began to laugh.

"Fly, into the air!" Dartz laughed. "Fly!"

He soon tied the rope around his waist and let himself float in the air, his cloak soon billowed out to help control the air current. The five rose toward the moon, their shadow flying throughout the town and causing people to look up in wonder.

"Look at that, big brother!" cried Serenity, pointing to the shadow. "What is that?"

"I dunno." said Joey in reply. "But whatever it is, I want one!"

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"I HATE HEIGHTS!" Mikey screamed, hands grasping onto Raphael's ankles with all his might as the group flew higher and higher still. "I hate...hey, wait! It's Valon!"

"Valon? Where?" asked Alister, looking up. "Valon!"

Valon's body was falling upward through the leaf tornado, his pale and ghostly body clutching onto the pumpkin. Farther and farther away he was going, until he could no longer be seen amongst the dark and stormy clouds.

"Where's he going?" asked Mai, Dartz flying close by.

"Not where, when." Dartz answered. "4000 Halloweens ago; Valon—with my pumpkin—has gone ahead. Or should I say past."

Lightning crackled as the moon above them begin to wane. The four children looked up, seeing the moon blink at them hundreds and hundreds of times and the wind blowing backwards in relation to the moon's activity. Below, the landscape began to change—instead of a suburban area with kids in costumes trick-or-treating, it was then replaced with the site of pyramids and desert sand. The kite flew past the Sphinx as everyone else stared in awe.

"Egypt..." Alister gasped. "But it's brand new! That means...we really have gone back in time! 4,000 years!"

"And we're falling!" Raphael exclaimed. "Look!"

The kite slowly began to descend; without any wind to keep it up, gravity pushed it down. The four kids soon felt their stomachs pressed against cold sand, the kite dragged amongst the desert and slowly being nothing but shreds of paper and a bare skeleton of wooden posts and barbed wire. It eventually stopped, sand thrown into the air as the 'tail' found itself collapsing. Dartz soon flew down, his cape being used like a pair of wings to help him land safely.

"You know, I always wanted to go hang-gliding." said Alister. "But after this, I'll be fine with just seeing one on television."

"Look, there's a town!" said Raphael, pointing to an area of mud houses not far from their position. "Maybe someone here can tell us if they've seen Valon."

That was what they did. Walking amongst the clouded night sky, they approached the town. Dark skinned villagers dressed in cotton tunics of different colors placing bowl of food and vases of wine in front of their houses. Torches were being lit, illuminating the translucent figures that were moaning and circling the area.

"These...aren't ghosts, are they?" asked Mai, pulling her witch's cap down.

"They prefer being called spirits." said Dartz in reply.

"And they're trying to get into those houses..." said Raphael.

"Yes."

"And the food's for them then." said Alister, seeing a spirit grasping onto a fig. "But that means it's like our own trick-or-treating! 4,000 years ago..."

"Imagine that." Dartz said with a grin as the group continued to walk amongst the pale specters. None of them noticed the five walking along, only caring for entering the houses and the food that was laid out for them.

"Look!" said Mikey, pointing to a nearby house. "That ghost—I mean, spirit! It's Valon!"

"Now let's sneak up on him." Dartz whispered...but before he could make a move, Alister was already calling out for him.

"Valon, hold up!" cried the skeleton. At the sound of his name, Valon soon raced toward the house, pushing the curtain away as everyone else ran toward him. Alister pulled the curtain back, seeing a young dark-skinned woman in a white tunic staring back at them...but no Valon.

"Enter." The woman stated simply. "Sit. You are welcome."

The group looked to each other, not sure of what to do. Dartz glared at them, and the look made the four enter inside. There was the smell of meat cooking and the warmth of candles that illuminated the dreary place as everyone was seated. Servants entered the room, carrying trays and bowls of food for everyone to eat. One of them placed a bowl in-between Alister and Mai, filled with some sort of strange meat and globs of raisins. The two looked at each other before passing down the bowl to Raphael, who then passed it down to Mikey.

But as Mikey was about to pass it down to the person sitting next to him, his eyes widened in surprise and he gasped. The person, with brown dried up skin, patches of hair on his scalp, arms crossed against his chest and wrapped in bandages...his mouth open revealing a few teeth and rotten gums...

"Who is that?" Mikey gasped out, nearly dropping the bowl of food onto the floor.

"Our great-grandfather." The woman replied. "Don't make a fuss."

"He doesn't look very good." said Raphael.

"Oh, he's been dead for 67 years." The woman answered cheerfully. That caused Alister to choke on the bread that he was eating. He hit his chest with a hand, swallowing on the brown grainy lump.

"So what's he doing here?" He asked.

"Once a year, on the Feast of the Ghosts, we invite him to eat with us." said the woman, pouring wine into some goblets.

"Gross..." Mai commented. Dartz just laughed.

"Don't you wish we had a tradition like this, hmm? Dinner for the dead."

Mikey stared into the face of the mummy once more, letting out a scream as he placed the food on the table and backed away slowly. But he didn't check what was behind him, and stumbled onto a couple of clay vats with Valon being revealed when they tipped over.

"You!" Dartz cried. "Stay where you are!"

Valon ignored the cry as he ran toward the exit, his body phasing through the red cloth. Dartz just grinned in reply.

"Well, it looks like we won't have time for dessert."

The four children stared into the dead eyes and toothless grin of the 'great-grandfather' and screamed, leaving for the dark night sky hanging upon the town. Spirits wrapped around posts and ate sweets in front of them, all while four kids began to run.

"Dartz, hurry up!" said Alister, turning around. "We have to catch up with...huh?"

Dartz wasn't following them. But he soon emerged in the air, laughing as his cape was now a pair of wings, making him resemble some sort of superhero or a winged monster.

"The time has come!" He announced. "Hurry. Race. Run! Your three mysteries await!"

The four children continued to run, following Dartz to their destination: a pyramid with stone statues waiting for them. It was so eerie, and at the same time, beautiful. Approaching the entrance, they stared in awe at the work and detail that came into building the edifice. Mikey went up to one of the statues, hearing it moan as sand escaped its mouth.

"Valon's...went in there, didn't he?" He asked.

_**Yesss...**_ The statue answered back.

"Oh." said Mikey with a gulp.

"We're not going anywhere if we just stay here." said Mai. "You go first, Raph."

"I'm not following for that one." Raphael replied. "Ladies first."

"I'll go." said Alister, walking toward the entrance. "After all...it's not scary...no, it's not scary."

Emerging from the darkness was a strip of linen. Alister picked it up and stared at it curiously.

"Maybe...Valon threw it to us to show us the way?" He said to Mikey. "I mean, it must be pretty—AAH!"

The bandage wrapped around Alister's torso and began to drag him into the abyss. The boy let out a scream as Mai, Raphael and Mikey began to chase after him, telling the skeleton to hold on. The bandages weaved in and out dragging the boy toward its destination, zipping through pillars and feet pounding across corridors until it reached its destination and dropped Alister with a thud. A corridor with an open sarcophagus and a bundle of linen. The strip pulled away from Alister, the red haired boy looking up to see the mummy. It was thin and lanky, wrapped in linen bandages hugging pale skin. On its face was a golden mask.

"Dartz?" Alister whispered, seeing strands of aqua hair behind the golden mask. "Is that...you?"

There was no reply from the mummy, but the eyes of the mask looked like they were glowing...as if to answer 'Yes' to Alister's question.

Raphael, Mikey and Mai soon entered, panting for breath.

"I need to rest." said Mai, getting on her knees. "A girl's not made to be running after a boy."

"You there..." Dartz moaned. "With the mummy wrappings and mummy face."

"M-me?" Mikey gulped.

The mummy lifted its left hand, a black sun painted on its palm. Then he lifted his right hand, the palm had a black crescent moon.

"Day is killed by night, Summer by Winter." Dartz explained. "Osiris killed by his brother Seth, Lord of Chaos."

Dartz pressed his hands together, red light surrounding them. Mikey stepped up.

"Is that...what Egyptians thought of Halloween?" asked the boy.

"You tell me!"

Mikey gasped, seeing Dartz remove the mask off of his face with a clutter, the face resembling more of a skull. Dartz grinned, but the lack of skin made his cheekbones sink and therefore made him look scarier.

"Why do you wear that costume?" asked Dartz.

Mikey looked at his bandages, trying to find a reason. Dartz moaned in annoyance.

"You're a mummy!" Dartz exclaimed. "Because that's how the Egyptians dressed up their dead for eternity. Spun around in a cocoon of threads, they hoped to come forth like fresh butterflies in some far dear loving, afterlife.

"Know your cocoon, boy! And touch the straying tufts."

"Then...then everyday was Halloween." said Mikey.

"Every day was a Halloween celebration." said Dartz, escaping the sarcophagus. "Very good."

The sound of a procession soon echoed across the chamber. There was moans and chanting in an ancient tongue, the sound of bells ringing every now and then to the shuffling of footsteps.

"But what about...Valon?" asked Mikey.

"It seems they're wrapping him up for eternity, right about...now." Dartz answered.

"You don't mean like 'right now?'"

"Save him, Mikey!" said Dartz. "You're the only one who can do it."

"But...but..." Mikey stuttered out, eyes widening in fear. Alister placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's going to be all right." said the older boy. "Now go. Use the air-vent to escape..."

He pointed to a square shaped hole on one of the stone walls. Mikey lifted his gaze to that direction and nodded his head.

"We'll be fine." said Mai. "Now get going!"

Mikey nodded his head as he ran toward the hole. He leaped toward the escape, but let out a scream as his stomach began to slide through the chamber. He closed his eyes as his body soon hit the floor of another chamber, somersaulted slightly in the air, before his back and legs hit something. Looking up, Mikey found himself looking at a sarcophagus. Surrounding the coffin were torches that lit the room and only causing an aura of terror to take root.

Mikey stood up, making sure his bandages were still on him before getting a good look at the sarcophagus. It had Valon's face on it, and his arms had silver and blue metallic gauntlets, similar to the costume he was wearing hours earlier. There was a slight moan from within the coffin lid as Mikey looked in shock.

"Valon?" asked the bandaged covered boy. "Valon, is that you?"

_**Mikey...is that you?**_ Asked a voice.

"Yeah, it's me! Alister and I and Raphael and Mai are here to help you out."

_**I'm...fading...**_

"You can't leave now! I was going to buy you a ticket for the new Dyna Dude movie even though you don't like Dyna Dude! And you stood up for me when I was the only student in my class who actually carried a Dyna Dude figure while everyone else had Masked Rider!"

_**Of course I like Dyna Dude; I like it as much as I like Masked Rider...but don't tell Alister that, alright?**_

Mikey nodded his head as he tried to lift the sarcophagus lid up. But it was heavy. He strained and pushed with all his might, but it wouldn't budge. He lifted his head to see shadows pass by. The young boy rushed to find a hiding place, eventually hiding in one of the corridors, eyes closed and hands crossed against his arms to make it look as if he was dead. One of his eyes cracked open to see a parade of people lifting the sarcophagus away. They were dressed in white tunics and golden jewelry, some holding torches and one of the—probably the leader—with a golden jackal mask and an ankh in one hand. They left the corridor, Mikey leaving his hiding spot to follow them, trying to figure out a way to stall—or rather, stop—the procession in sealing Valon away forever.

The parade walked back to the same chamber Dartz and the others were in. Mai, Alister and Raphael copied Mikey's idea of pretending to be dead, arms crossed against chests and eyes closed shut. Dartz was already in his sarcophagus, his eyes shut as the procession was lowering the sarcophagus down onto the ground.

Then, there were the moans. The Egyptians gasped in shock as Mikey entered the room, hands waving in the air and giving his best impression of a moaning spirit. Alister opened one eye and smiled, seeing his brother acting so brave in the face of danger. The four man holding onto the sarcophagus dropped it with a clatter, and in the process opened its lid. Laying on his back was Valon, his hands still grasping onto the pumpkin.

Dartz opened his eyes—causing the priest that was standing near the sarcophagus to flee in terror—and sat up, hands pressed against the sides of the sarcophagus with a grin on his face. The priests soon ran off, as Mikey then let out one final moan before giggling to himself.

"Come along, Valon." said Dartz, a finger pointing at the young ghost. "You and I have an appointment; you must keep it."

Soon, the pumpkin began to sing, the candle inside it flickering and giving the gourd a glowing aura. Valon took it in his hands, closing his eyes and hearing the words it was trying to say.

_**Live, live forever...Live forever...**_

Valon let out a blush, his skin losing the blue glow and tinted a slight tan color.

"No!" Dartz growled as Valon began to spin the pumpkin in the air. His skin was a ghostly blue color as the wind whipped into the air once more. Valon let out a scream as he was sent through the pyramid and vanishing from sight.

"Through the air vent, guys!" said Mikey, motioning to the same vent he went through earlier. "Come on!"

"Yes..." Dartz laughed again. "Find him, catch him!"

The four crawled their way out, Raphael mentioning that he was claustrophobic during the trip, but it didn't stop them from emerging into the light of the moon and darkened sky once more. Mikey soon began to climb up the pyramid, Alister following soon after.

"This is pretty steep..." said Mai, staring at how far Valon was ahead of them.

"We have no time to jinx this." Raphael remarked. "Let's go."

Valon was nearing the top of the pyramid, before seeing Dartz swooping in the air once more like a bat. Valon returned a glare as he spun the pumpkin once more, hovering in the air as the wind lifted him higher and higher into the sky.

"Valon!" The four children cried simultaneously, unable to do anything but stare as their friend was disappearing. Dartz noticed this and grasped onto his cape.

"Hurry then!" He cried, throwing it down to the four below. "Four corners, grab on! He can hide, but if we hurry, we can go seek!"

Dartz let out another laugh as Mikey, Alister, Mai and Raphael grasped onto a corner of the cape. The wind soon pushed the cape upward. They let out screams as they were also pulled higher and higher into the sky, following Dartz as they saw the ghoulish face of the moon grinning at them.

Alister looked down, the scenery of the pyramid amongst sand disappearing from sight as grey clouds covered their view. He just knew that tonight was far from over...


	4. Chapter 4: The Witch

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**The Halloween Tree**

**by Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 4-The Witch**

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The sands of Egypt began to vanish as the five began to travel amongst the night sky. Valon's spirit was speeding father and farther away as grey and black clouds began to become nothing more than obstacles to the group. The moon became full once more, winking at them as it shifted from full moon, half moon, then new moon. Continuing to grasp onto the corners of the cape, Alister, Raphael, Mai and Mikey could only look down as the scenery changed. There were trees, grass and a castle heading in their direction, the night being lit by bonfires and the wind singing along flutes of some sort.

"Happy New Year!" Dartz announced as they began to descend.

"It's not New Year's, it's Halloween!" Mikey remarked.

"Well, maybe in our time it's All Hallow's Eve. But this time, it's New Year's Eve; the true end of Summer and cold start of Winter. Happy New Year!"

And Dartz was right; down below were people toasting each other with food, wine and spirit. Not far from them were people dancing in a circle around a bonfire. Some swung broomsticks while others leapt over them as if they were playing a game.

"Is Valon down below?" asked Alister, staring at the flickering flames of bonfires.

Raphael looked up, seeing a meteor spiraling and swooping in the air.

"He's there above!" He cried, seeing Valon descend onto the ground. Dartz noticed this and grasped onto his cape, helping it reach the ground (and also causing the four kids grasping onto the corners of his cape to scream). They swooped near a field of vegetables before reaching Valon's destination: a circle of stone monoliths with a large, beaming full moon illuminating the strange structure.

Valon and his pumpkin slammed at the center of the circle, a 'boom' was heard as a giant streak of orange and yellow light swirled around the inner ring of the stone monoliths before it slowly began to dim, leaving a pale orange glow that looked similar to the color of a dying flame of a candle.

"What is this place?" asked Mai, as the five began to descend onto the ground.

"Where are we?" asked Alister, once their feet touched the ground.

"And more importantly, when are we?" asked Mikey.

"It's old time, children." Dartz answered. "Ancient times...Stonehenge!"

The aquamarine-haired man stepped back as dark clouds began to shroud the moon and shadows began to lengthen and cover the ground in pitch-black darkness.

"You need courage tonight, kids." Dartz continued. "This is the Dark Ages, and this is the longest, darkest night of all time!"

Mikey huddled close to his brother, before something caught the corner of his eye. He turned around, thinking he had seen Valon's shadow upon one of the stone monoliths. It began to run and leap onto one of the other monoliths.

"Valon?" He whispered, seeing the shadow pass by the stone behind Raphael. Soon, the others took notice.

"Valon, is that you?" asked Mai, the four seeing Valon running in circles, his shadow running and running in a never ending cycle. Dartz just smiled as the wind began to blow once more.

"In these dark times, people thought that those who had died during the year would turn into beasts." He explained. "Became animals: dogs, wild wolves, but worst of all...cats! Black as bad luck and black as sin...

"And worse of all...black as night!"

The shadows transformed into animals, but one of them turned into the form of a snarling cat. It let out a yowl and a hiss at Alister and the others stared at it with shock.

"Valon?" asked Alister.

The cat ignored the cry and leapt from its bindings and climbed onto the top of one of the monolith, the moon shining upon its imposing figure.

"I'll get him down." said Mai, climbing on one of the smaller stones. "Come on, Valon...here boy..."

Just as Mai's hand was about to grasp onto the feline, it leapt away and ran across the tops of Stonehenge. It then leapt down onto the ground and ran toward the forest, just as shadows began to grow and consume the four children.

"This is definitely the last time I'm trick-or-treating with you guys." said Mai. "You boys and your stupid pranks..."

"You chose to come with us, remember?" said Raphael. "Don't blame us that you decided to pedal all the way down to the ravine."

One of the shadows behind them swirled, revealing Dartz who just grinned like a cat who had swallowed its fish whole. That was when they heard noise not far from where they were...something of the lines of chopping wood.

"What's going on there?" asked Mikey.

"I don't know." said Alister. "But we better take a look...Valon might be there."

"Indeed, let's take a look." said Dartz with a grin.

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The five traversed through the fields of grain, seeing men chopping down trees and tossing the wood into piles. Women were using scythes to cut down wheat and place them into their own separate piles. Others used rope to the the hay to the wooden branches, and then tossing those away into a pile of brooms. It was if it was a medieval factory of broom making, the villagers continuing their monotonous work without a care in the world.

Mai was the first to notice.

"It's a broom festival." she gasped, getting on her hands and knees. She crawled toward the pile of brooms, excitement in her eyes as the villagers—oblivious to the blonde haired and orchid eyed girl—continued to toss completed brooms into the pile.

"These are brooms...broomsticks for witches." Mai said in awe.

"Touch them..." said Dartz, standing behind Mai. "Feel them..."

Mai's eyes widened with curiosity, a trembling finger inching closer and closer to the broom. She touched it, and the broom began to glow. Soon it swooped into the air and right underneath Mai's feet, the young girl letting out a scream as she stared flying into the air.

"Whoa..." Mikey said in awe, looking up into the sky. "That looks like fun!"

Mai continued to scream as she looped through the air, flew down close to the boys and soon began to ascend higher and higher into the air.

"How's it hanging, Mai?" asked Raphael. Of course, Mai couldn't hear those words as she continued to zigzag and zoom in the sky.

"Why not all of you try it out." said Dartz, snapping his fingers. "It's better than just being on the ground."

Three brooms began to levitate into the air and then swooped underneath them all. The boys screamed as they rode through the dense forest and soon flew up into the air. Alister just smiled as he flew faster and faster, Raphael tried to keep up with his friend, and Mikey's bandages were covering his face as he clutched onto his broomstick with one hand.

Alister flew close to Mai, the blonde girl's eyes closed shut as she was begging to get back on the ground.

"What's the matter?" asked Alister.

"I just wanna be back on the ground. Put me back on the ground!" Mai exclaimed.

"Where's your spirit of adventure?" asked Dartz flying in front of them. "Witches had nothing to fear on their brooms."

"It might be like riding a bike." said Mikey.

"Like my bike..." said Mai, grasping onto the broom, picturing her on her bike and pedaling through the forest. When it didn't swoop down, her eyes opened in revelation as she began to turn and weave in the sky once more. "Hey, that works!"

"That's the spirit!" said Dartz, his cape nearly shrouding him in the sky. "Now how about a game of 'Follow the Leader?'"

"I do! I do!" Mikey cried, speeding past his brother. "Let me be the leader after this!"

"Come back here, Mikey!" said Alister, flying alongside the mummy. "Don't go too far!"

The five flew through the village, going through a barn that frightened the chickens and made them cluck in panic. There were a couple of laughs as they continued to fly and swerve amongst the sky. There was the cawing of crows that flew amongst them and the growling of animals down below also accompanied the group.

Mai looked down below. Amongst the trees was a giant cauldron being lit by logs of fire. And surrounding the cauldron were hooded figures, chanting in a strange tongue and some carrying brooms in their hands. In fact, she was so engrossed with what she was seeing...

That she didn't see where she was going and crashed through some of the trees on her way down onto the ground. She wasn't in any pain, but that didn't stop Alister, Mikey and Raphael to swoop down and see if she was alright.

"You okay?" asked Mikey, helping the blond witch up.

"I am." said Mai. "But I saw something!"

"You did? Was it Valon?" asked Alister.

"No, witches!" Mai answered, her voice full of excitement as she began to describe her observations. "They were everywhere! They were chanting and had brooms in hand."

"Of course," said Dartz, landing a few inches toward them. "It can't be Halloween without witches."

"Then, there really were witches?" said Mikey with some surprise.

"Well, yes and no."

"Could they fly broomsticks?" asked Mai.

"Not really."

"But they could talk to the dead, right?" said Raphael.

"Nope."

"Make hairy warts grow on people?" Alister suggested.

"Sorry, no."

"Make people jump by sticking pins in dolls?" said Mikey.

"Not to my knowledge!"

"Well, heck!" Mai exclaimed. "Then what could they do?"

"Nothing!" Dartz answered.

"NOTHING?" The four children repeated with looks of shock on their faces.

"Plenty claim they could," said Dartz, leading the group back to the circle of witches. "But that was just an ease to protect their privacy. Ever wondered what the word 'witch' really means?"

"Um, no." Mai answered. "Not until tonight."

Hiding behind a couple of trees, the four children looked with curiosity as they saw these 'witches' in many rituals. Some cackling while tossing strange ingredients into the cauldron, and three of them were staring into a crystal ball.

"Wits, knack, information." Dartz explained. "In the Dark Ages, anyone who had a brain full of knowledge had his 'wits' about him, right?

"So anyone too smart was called..."

"A witch!" The four cried.

"Exactly! And the really smart ones—ones with the wits—called it...'magic'."

"Wow!" said Mikey. "Mom always said 'Knowledge is power', but I didn't know it was that strong!"

"Hey..." said Raphael. "Does anyone smell...something burning?"

Alister turned around, seeing villagers with pitchforks and torches in hand spraying fire amongst the forest. The smell of smoke was starting to spread, and the screams of the so-called 'witches' rang in his ears. The witches began to flee as fire devoured the trees and left nothing more but a wasteland of darkened wood. Dartz frowned as he began to fly into the air, the four young children flew on their broomsticks into the black, smoky and cloudy sky.

"In the end, all Europe was a cloud of witch's smoke." Dartz noted sadly. "Anyone want to be a witch?"

"No, no! Not me!" Mai exclaimed, shaking her head. She looked up to the sky. "Wait...Valon?"

Not far from them was Valon, riding on one of the magical witch's brooms. He looped through the air—one hand on the broom handle, another on his pumpkin—trying to fly farther and farther away into the sky.

"Wonderful." said Dartz. "How about a game of tag?"

He flew faster as the others tried to catch up. As Valon looked behind him—to make sure Dartz wasn't on his trail—he turned around as Dartz appeared in front of him, hands grabbing for the pumpkin.

"That pumpkin doesn't belong to you anymore." Dartz growled.

He snatched onto the pumpkin, but Valon's grip was tighter, as they pulled the pumpkin toward each other, in a desperate attempt in making sure the other didn't take it from them. They were oblivious to four watchers coming up to them, though.

"Hold on!" said Mai, flying toward Valon. "We're coming!"

Unfortunately, not even she could stop Valon from tugging the pumpkin away from Dartz. Nor could she stop him from falling. Thinking quick, the young witch flew toward him, grasping onto his hand to prevent him from falling.

"She did it!" said Mikey. "She saved Valon! Hooray!"

"What a switch." Valon stated to Mai with a smile. "I always wanted to be your knight in shining armor, but it's now the opposite, isn't it?"

As they were flying Valon's grip was starting to slip.

"Don't fall!" said Mai. "Come on, don't do this to me! I mean, you're going around all willy-nilly with your friends and all...but you're okay. You fight, but you have spirit...I guess. Just hold on, we'll save you."

"Tears don't suit you, you know." Valon stated. "Come on, big smiles all around!"

"Not for you!" said Dartz, flying besides the two, pocketwatch at hand. "Time's up!"

"No they aren't!" said Valon, releasing his grasp on Mai's hand falling once more. But this time, he began to ascend into the air, his whole body streaked like a comet as he began to disappear beyond the horizon.

"Follow me if you can!" Valon added. "Ready, set, go!"

"Great!" said Raphael. "Valon can be halfway around the world at this point! Now what do we do?"

"I'm still a witch, right?" said Mai. "I have my wits; follow me!"

She began to fly in the direction Valon flew off to. Following her were Raphael, Alister and Mikey, all of them flying to retrieve their friend before it was too late.


	5. Chapter 5: The Gargoyle

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**The Halloween Tree**

**By Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 5: The Gargoyle**

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"Are you sure this is the right way?" asked Mikey. "It feels like we're going around in circles."

"I'm just following my wits!" Mai answered back. "And my wits tell me that this is where we're supposed to go."

"I don't like to worry you about this, but what if we don't get Valon back?" asked Raphael. "I mean…he did look up to you, Mai."

"We're going to get him back! I'm not letting that little runt die!"

"Does that mean you like him?" asked Alister.

"Of course not!" Mai answered. "I…just don't want him to die so prematurely!"

"What's prematurely mean?" asked Mikey.

The young boy didn't receive an answer, but it was for the best. As the four flew across the evening sky on their broomsticks, the scenery changed. Now, it looked like centuries passed with modern houses topped with brick chimneys and smokestacks and a river flowing freely below and bordering cobblestone roads greeting the children. Still, there was no sign of Valon.

Mai looked below, seeing Dartz flying ahead, but she had no idea where he was heading. That's when she saw it; he was heading toward the basis of a giant unfinished building. Moonlight poured down on the strange edifice and made it seem terrifying and yet beautiful at the same time.

Dartz landed on the ground, followed by the four hovering on the ground with their broomsticks.

"Well, is he here?" asked Mikey.

"Valon's got to be here." said Alister, rubbing his arms up and down. "I can feel it in my bones."

"Very funny." Mai remarked.

"No, I can really feel it…he has to be here, I know it!"

"Where is he, Dartz?" asked Raphael.

"Hiding most likely." Dartz answered back.

"And protecting his pumpkin soul." Alister added.

"How observant." said Dartz, complimenting the red haired boy. "But please remember that it's **my** pumpkin he's protecting. Come out, come out…"

He walked closer and closer to the building, trying to call out the young boy. As he was about to step beneath the shadow of the building, he stopped. Looking up, the clouds moved away and revealed a luminous full moon. Dartz covered himself with his cape and stepped back. Once it was far enough, he turned to Raphael.

"I have a riddle for you." The aqua-haired man stated.

"Why not give it to Alister?" asked Raphael.

"Because it's your turn now." Dartz answered simply. "What's bigger and stronger than demons and witches? A place so big that holds back the night and its nightmares? What's bigger than devils and ghosts alike?"

"I know!" said Mikey. "It's Dyna-Dude!"

Dartz chuckled at the innocent answer, but shook his head as if to answer with a 'no'. Mikey frowned when he found out that it wasn't the answer. Raphael was rubbing his chin in thought though.

"Bigger…bigger…." Raphael said to himself. He then looked at the unfinished building and asked, "A cathedral?"

"A cathedral!" Dartz exclaimed. "That's it! A place where a running, renegade child can hide and take sanctuary….Sanctuary! Sanctuary!"

At the cry of 'Sanctuary', a ghostly bell was heard. It rang once…twice…three times as the building in construction transformed into its completed glory. Light radiated through the windows and through the beautiful stained glass window in the circle.

_**Help….**_ cried Valon's voice.

"It's Valon!" said Alister, pointing to his friend's ghostly figure at the bell tower.

_**Mai…Alister…Mikey…Raphael…hurry!**_

"We're coming!" said Mai as the four began to run to the entrance. Dartz followed them, but he stepped back at the site of the shadows. Noticing this, Mikey turned around.

"Is there something wrong?" The young boy asked.

"Yeah, you flew half the night to catch Valon!" Raphael remarked. "So how come you're not coming to get him now?"

"Let's just say that there are some places that I'm not as welcomed to as I am in others." Dartz answered back. "So why not collect him for me?"

_**HURRY!**_ Valon's voice cried, before the illusion of the completed cathedral and the young boy vanished. But as the four were climbing upstairs, they knew that there was no way they could catch up to him.

"How do we get up there?" asked Mikey.

"There are ways, children!" Dartz cried out. "After all, tonight of all nights is still Halloween!

"So why not finish building the cathedral…with your feet?"

"Huh?" was the expression on everyone else's faces as they tried to make sense of the advice they were given.

"Are you kidding?" Mai exclaimed.

"No, call the stones with your feet!" Dartz answered back.

"We have no choice." said Raphael. "Valon's in danger."

The other three nodded their heads and began climbing up the steps. As they did, the stone road beneath Dartz's feet began to wobble and ripple like waves amongst the ocean. As they reached the top, they immediately stopped, seeing how high they were.

Raphael swallowed a lump in his throat as he saw the situation…one mistake and he'd be squashed into a pancake.

"What do we do now?" asked Alister. Mai was deep in thought before she got the meaning of the words.

"Sorry." She stated behind Raphael's back. And with one mighty push…

Raphael was flailing his arms in attempt to keep his balance. He was about to fall, but a stone brick appeared underneath his feet and kept him standing. He got on his knees and sighed in relief.

"Bravo…" Dartz announced, clapping his hands. "Now continue your work!"

Seeing the situation, Raphael took another step forward. This time, three more bricks were in front of him. He took another, and even more bricks followed. Seeing this, the four began to run and run as if they were floating in the sky. Stone, bricks and mortar…all of these and more flew into the air to help build the splendid cathedral.

"This is so much fun!" Mikey giggled. "I wonder what would happen if—Whoa!"

Mikey tripped on one of his bandages and began to fall, only for a large stone pillar to assemble beneath him. Noticing this—and noting that his brother was off with Mai—he began to jumping into the air to follow them. As he did, another pillar came in place. Then two more. Soon enough, there were eight pillars that created a pathway for the young boy.

Mai was on the frame of the roofs, wooden beams supporting the main frame as stone covered them. In no time at all, the cathedral was being built, its shadow growing taller and taller, looming over Dartz. Dartz stepped back further and further, before getting very irritated of repeatedly stepping back.

"That's enough!" He cried, raising his hands in the air. Soon enough, storm clouds appeared, lightning crackled and clouds covered the moon once more. Dartz smiled to himself as he began to walk through the entrance of the building, now that darkness camouflaged the shadow of the cathedral.

Up above, the four children looked at their handiwork, Raphael soon realizing what transpired.

"Notre Dame," He whispered. "We've just built Notre Dame!"

Looking down, the children noticed that they did build Notre Dame. The great cathedral, standing at 69 meters, gave the four a great view of the city known as Paris. It looked as if they were on top of the world...even as the lightning boomed and crashed.

"No, this can't be Notre Dame." said Raphael, looking below.

"Why not?" asked Alister.

"Don't you see it? It's missing something: monster faces!"

"You mean like stone devils and marble demons." Mai gasped out. "Gargoyles!"

"Precisely!"

The four turned, seeing Dartz's shadow loom on the roof before the man appeared toward them.

"Have you ever wondered why we dress up as demons, beasts and supernatural creatures?" He asked them, floating and levitating in the air. "It's because it reminds of the dark knight and all those fears and nightmares."

In the sky, the clouds took on a ghoulish face. Shadows began to dance and move against the buildings and roads while lightning crackled and cackled chaotically. There was laughter, the rustling of the wind and the sense of monsters wandering about the city.

"So…how do we call them?" asked Mikey.

"Ask your gargoyle friend." Dartz answered. "They're waiting for his summons."

"Summons, huh?" said Raphael, lifting the monster mask over his head. He then drew his pinkies to his mouth and let out a sharp, shrill whistle.

Then, there were growls. Darkness blanketed the scenery below as each and every monster, demon, devil and gargoyle raced toward Notre Dame. There, they perched, with lightning petrifying them into stone, until every crevice of the sanctuary was decorated with the ancient beasts of old.

"There it is!" Dartz exclaimed. "Your quarry of stone monsters has arrived!"

"And now it's finished!" said Raphael. "Now all that's left is…

_**Can anyone here me? **_croaked a voice. The four looked up.

"Valon!" They cried simultaneously.

"But where is he?" asked Mai. "He can be anywhere in this giant thing!"

Mikey looked down, a hand on his forehead to help him ease his search as he was being drenched from the pouring rain. He looked down, noticing something strange.

"Guys…I found him." said Mikey, pointing down below. He was pointing at a stone gargoyle that looked similar to Valon, grasping onto his pumpkin. On his back were stone angel wings.

"We're coming, Val." said Mai, as she and the others hopped down the edges of the cathedral in an attempt to meet up with their friend. Scooting across the edge and being drenched by a heavy rain, they noticed that water was falling down the gargoyle's mouth.

"What's going on?" asked Alister. "What's with the water?"

"I read that gargoyles can only speak can only talk when rain water falls down their mouth or when wind blows through his teeth." Raphael answered. "Valon…is that you?"

_**I'm scared…**_ Valon whimpered.

"We're coming to get you." said Mai, trying her hardest to reach him. "Just…stay there."

"It's too high." said Raphael. "But…"

"But what?" asked a voice. The four looked up to see Dartz in the air, cape flowing in the breeze. Despite the heavy rainfall, it didn't seem as a drop of water was on him. "What's wrong?"

"I'm the only live gargoyle here, right?"

"If what I'm seeing is right, then yes."

"Then I know what I have to do." said Raphael with a nod of his head. "Guys, help me get to Valon."

"On it." said Alister, boosting Raphael by crouching down and placing his hands underneath his boots. Mikey and Mai did the same thing as Raphael grabbed onto the ledge in front of him. He stared into his friend's eyes, seeing the sadness and fear that was placed in them.

"What's happened to you?" Raphael exclaimed. "What's with this whole appendicitis thing you sent us in that message? And you throwing up at the Game Shop…"

_**I think I'm dying….**_ Valon replied.

"No you're not!"

_**You tried, Raph…all of you guys tried your best.**_

"Shut up!" screamed Raphael. "Don't quit; keep running and we'll follow!"

_**I have to go….**_

"You can't! Remember that time those fireworks set up in my room?"

_**It sure smoked up the whole house…**_ Valon replied with a weak chuckle.

"You took the blame for me!" said Raphael. "You had to use up your allowance for that new Masked Rider video game you wanted so much just to pay for all the damage that was caused. I never…thanked you for it."

_**Well, what are friends for? I…have to go now…goodbye…**_

"You can't go!" said Raphael, grabbing onto the stone pumpkin. "You just can't!"

Suddenly, the stone pumpkin began to crack. Then it fell as Valon looked on in horror. As Raphael grasped onto the ledge with one hand, lightning struck Valon and he soon returned to his ghostly form. The ghost flew down, trying to catch up with his pumpkin before it became nothing but orange pulp. At the last second, Valon's hands grasped onto his treasure.

"He did it!" said Raphael. But then, he began to fall also…this time, he fell upon a stone gryphon. Bolts of lightning struck the majestic creature and it began to fly into the air. The monster began to nose-dive to where Valon was, the blonde boy catching up to his friend.

But as he was about to catch up, Valon begun to fly into the air, becoming a golden meteor once more. It circled into the air, ignoring the heavy rain and lightning as it flew into the clouds.

"We have to catch up!" said Alister, grasping onto his brother's hand. Mai grasped onto her hat as the three fell down, landing on some more winged gargoyles. Lightning struck them all and they soon followed Raphael into the sky.

"We can't lose him now." said Raphael, pointing to the horizon. "Come on!"

As the four continued to fly, Dartz's cape crackled with electricity, he soon began to fly into the air once more.

"There's no escape…" He whispered. "There are just shortcuts before making it to the final resting place!"


	6. Chapter 6: The Skeleton

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**The Halloween Tree**

**By Green Phantom Queen**

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**Chapter 6-The Skeleton**

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"Where are we heading for now?" asked Alister. "Valon can be anywhere, and time's running out."

"It can't be far from where we are." said Mai. "Still, where are we?"

"We're at our final destination!" Dartz answered. "Can you guess what is?"

"Beats me." said Mikey. "I…hey, does anyone hear that?"

"Guitars." said Raphael. "I also hear skeleton bones. No…those are marimbas and xylophones!"

"Huh?" asked Mai, placing a hand near her ear. "I don't hear that. Wait…I hear something else!"

"I hear castanets!" said Alister, swooping down into the area below. "I know this place…"

"Mexico!" The four kids cried simultaneously, seeing the dirt roads filled with lights and skeletons. The music became louder and louder, sounding as if there wasn't a festival of the dead, but more of a festival of feasting and partying going on.

Valon was still ahead, the golden meteor swooping around a cemetery, lighting all of the candles placed upon the tombstones. At the same time, the sounds and colors of fireworks exploded and illuminated the night sky as spectators look on from below.

"It's the Day of the Dead." said Alister. "Back home, this something we'd never head off to a cemetery on Halloween. But this looks like fun!"

"Yeah!" said Mikey. "I mean, there's so much music and lights and sounds…it doesn't seem so scary at all!"

The four continued to glide over a marketplace in Mexico, seeing toy skeletons being exhibited, and men hammering away in making new coffins for the deceased. Children rushed for skull and ghost shaped cookies, and the flapping of gargoyle wings made newspapers fly into the air.

Mai took one in her hands and opened it.

"Wow, this whole thing's full of bones!" She gasped.

"Mexican Halloween is _**way**_ better than ours, that's for sure." Raphael added.

Alister took another free flying newspaper into his hands and looked at the front page. He gasped in surprise; he was staring into a skeleton version of Valon with a pumpkin in hand.

"Valon…" Alister whispered. "He has to be somewhere around here…"

Suddenly, the gargoyles started to roar and rear. The four riders found themselves swooping up and down through the air, before the gargoyles booted them out. They then fell onto a pile of hay, the gargoyles resting upon the cemetery and becoming more than decorations for the deceased.

"Well, that was fun." said Mai, a hand on her head. "Now let's never do that again."

"Sweet skulls…sweet skulls…" said a voice. "Crystal sugar candy skulls…"

The four looked up, seeing a hooded figure approaching them, covered with a poncho and sombrero. In one hand, the person was clutching onto a giant branch with candy skulls dangling upon it through springs.

"Wow….candy!" said Mikey.

"Tell me your name, I'll give a skull." said the person, hand stretching toward the four.

"Mikey!" And with that cry, the man pulled a skull away from the branch and tossed it into the air. Mikey wasted no time in grasping it. He looked at it with wonder; it was a white candy skull decorated with candy buttons and had his name written on its forehead with red food coloring.

"Got one for Mai?" asked the witch.

"How about one for Alister?"

"Why not give one to Raphael?"

At the names, three more skulls flew into the air as the three recipients grabbed onto their prized sweets. Alister pressed his nose to the candy skull, taking in the sugary scent. It smelled yummy.

The candy skull vendor laughed at the site of the four having their treats.

"Hold them in your hands, young ones." He said to them. "Bite it, swallow it, and survive. Come out from the black tunnel of Halloween…"

The figure removed the sombrero and poncho, revealing Dartz underneath it.

"And declare that and be glad that you're still alive…" He finished.

The four stared at their treats before taking a bite out of them. The sweet and sugary globules trickled down their throats as it was ground by their teeth, before falling into their throats.

"Guys, we have to get going." said Alister, taking another bite from his skull. "Valon's waiting for us."

"He's right." said Dartz, clasping onto his pocket watch. He stared into the night sky, seeing it covered with a wall of darkness. Soon, four piñatas appeared: one a witch, another a skeleton, a third one was a gargoyle, the last one was a mummy. Dartz covered himself with a cape and vanished, just as a couple of kids appeared with blindfolds and wooden sticks in hand.

"Aww, I want to hit the piñatas too!" said Mikey. Instead, he could only watch as the kids whacked onto all four of the piñatas, revealing black squeaky bats from beneath the paper maché that took wing beneath the four and carried them off into the sky.

"Now where are we going?" asked Mai.

"Wherever it is, I hope it's to Valon." said Alister in reply, looking ahead.

The bats squeaking was the only thing they heard as the four reached their destination: a mausoleum in the middle of a cemetery. The bats dropped them off with a thud, the four landing upon dead grass and enshrouded in a deep fog, before the winged mammals disappeared. Walking out of the shadows was Dartz, a grim grin on his face.

"That was fun!" said Mikey. "What's next?"

"There's no more time for games, children." Dartz answered with a ghoulish laugh. "The night ends…here.."

He pointed toward the entrance of the mausoleum. The door opened on its own, its oily creak beckoning the kids to enter.

"He's down there?" asked Raphael.

"Down in the catacombs." Dartz answered. "Valon's waiting for you…and Simon Says, 'Bring him up.'"

Everyone gulped, shivers falling down their spines as they saw the dark and foreboding entrance. Alister swallowed a lump in his throat and approached the mausoleum.

"Oh," said Dartz, placing a hand on the skeleton's shoulder. "And be extra careful with **my** pumpkin."

"We'll get it back." said Alister. "But we're keeping Valon for ourselves."

"Bravely spoken; your friend would've loved that. Hurry though, dawn is approaching."

Alister nodded a head and motioned for the others to follow him. They went down the steps, feet brushing up against cobwebs, the smell of death in the air.

"I'm scared." Mikey whimpered. "What's going to happen to us?"

"We'll be fine." said Mai, clasping onto the young boy's hand. "We'll be out of here in no time…I hope."

Alister ran a hand through the wall of cobwebs, revealing a gruesome site. Skeletons lined up against the walls, similar to the position of the four as mummies back in Ancient Egypt. At the end of a hall was an orange glowing light.

"Why would someone display the dead like this?" asked Raphael.

"Simple really." said Dartz, walking up to them from out of nowhere. "Their families couldn't pay their rent, so the gravekeeper put them down here." He coughed a bit as he commented that it was 'a little too dry for his taste.'

"Valon…" said Alister, taking a step forward. "What are you doing there?"

Valon was covered in cobwebs and looked up, eyes full of fear and sorrow.

_**I have**__** to stay…**_ He answered weakly. _**I'm trapped…**_

"But if you stay there, you'll stay forever!" Alister exclaimed. "Tourists will come down here just look at you and take photographs for their families!"

Alister then took a few steps forward.

"Come on, Valon! It's just us!"

Suddenly, a skeletal arm moved. Alister stepped back as the corpses opened their eyes, moaning and waving their arms in the air.

"Oh god…" Raphael whispered.

"What do we do?" asked Mikey.

"I don't know." said Mai.

Dartz placed a hand on Alister's shoulder once more, staring into the eyes of the young boy with golden flames.

"Tell me." He began. "Why do you wear bones, Skeleton?"

"Uh…I…that is…"

"Have you learned nothing?" Dartz exclaimed. Alister looked away, removing the green skull mask and pushing it toward the side of his head, lost in thought.

"Because…maybe…." Alister began. "If we face death eyeball to eyeball…it loses its power over us. It can't…scare us."

"Excellent." said Dartz with a grin. Alister just gulped in reply.

"Then that means...I have to go get Valon, all by myself."

Alister stared at the surrounding dead, taking a step forward. Valon looked up, staring at his best friend…then, Alister ran.

"Go, big brother!" said Mikey. "You can do it!"

"Don't look left or right!" said Mai. "Keep going straight! Run!"

"Come on!" said Raphael. "Get to Valon!"

Alister ran. He ran and ran and ran, only hearing the moans of the skeletons trying to grab him. The skeleton costumed boy ignored them; swerving left and right to keep himself going further. Eventually, he collapsed onto the ground, fingers inches away from his friend, and skeletal bodies collapsing into a bony heap.

"Don't die…" Alister whispered, raising a hand to meet up with Valon's eyes. "Why? Why does this have to happen?"

_**I wis**__**h I knew…**_ Valon whispered. _**But hey, it was fun while it lasted…right?**_

"I always wanted to…show you that place by the river. You know, have a mock battle of Masked Biker and Dyna Dude. But…you always had the better ideas, so I never had a chance. I wished that for once, I could've been the one who thought of the ideas; so I…I wished that something would happen to you that would've made you unable to give an idea. I never wanted…appendicitis to be the cause."

_**Is that all? Heck, why didn't you tell me? I'd let you lead anytime…Let's have our fight soon.**_

Alister smiled, tears forming in his eyes as he took his hand into Valon's ghostly one. It became solid…until it became like stone, the whole body then eroded into ash. The orange pumpkin began to vanish, leaving nothing but darkness.

"NO!" Alister screamed, seeing his friend disappearing from him. "No…this can't be…"

He soon heard laughter. Turning around, Alister saw Dartz pulling out something from beneath his cloak—it was the pumpkin Valon was clutching onto throughout the whole trip.

"This truly has been fun, hasn't it?" asked the aqua haired man. "And I know just where I'm going to hang this."

"I got to him first!" Alister growled. "So I win."

"When did I ever mention that this was a game? Your friend's rent was past due, it's as simple as that."

"That's not fair!" said Raphael. "You cheated!"

"You said if we went with you and solved all the mysteries of Halloween, we could save Valon!" Mai added.

"Children, its business." said Dartz. "With your friend's appendicitis, his rent came due and there was no payment. He's mine now!"

"No…no, that can't be true!" said Mikey, getting on his knees and clutching onto Dartz's cloak. "You promised; you promised that you would get Valon back!"

The young boy began to sob as Mai removed her cloak. She wrapped it around Mikey and helped him on his feet. The boy ignored the gesture as he rubbed his eyes with his hands.

"I don't think there's anything we can do." said Mai. "Come on Mikey…let's get going."

"Valon…" said Raphael. "We tried our best…we did what we can…"

"No." said Alister, balling his fists. "There's something we can still do."

"Like what? We did our best? We just didn't have time."

"Yeah we do." said Alister, turning to Dartz. "Dartz, I'll make Valon's payment for him!"

"Really now." said Dartz with interest. "What could you possibly have to pay with? Money? Toys? Candy?"

"Well…what if I give you something of value? Would…a year of my life be suffice?"

Mai, Raphael and Mikey gasped in horror; was Alister insane? Dartz looked on in interest.

"You'd really do that for your friend?"

"I would." Alister replied with a nod. "One year for the end of my life to give to Valon; it's the least I could do for him."

"One precious year from the near end of the thread of life…" Dartz murmured. "Think before your answer. 60 years from now—70 or even 80—when I come from you, you might be wishing for just one more day in the sunlight before death comes knocking at your door. Is Valon worth it?"

"More than you'll ever know."

Dartz rubbed his chin in thought, contemplating on the deal. Alister looked on in worry, afraid that the deal would be caught off and that he would never see his friend again.

"Take one of mine too!" said Mai, taking a step forward.

"I'll give up one." said Raphael.

"I'm in!" Mikey added.

Alister turned to his brother and friends, tears of joy falling down his eyes. He nodded his head and wiped away those tears as he turned to Dartz.

"Four for one makes good business, right?"

Dartz stared at the four, a grin on his face at the prospect of the payment.

"I like it…." He said with delight. The white cloaked man pulled something out of his cloak…a candy skull with Valon's name on it. Crushing it in his hand, the sugary delight split into four equal pieces.

"Chew and swallow…" He whispered. "Swallow and chew…"

The four children took one piece of the candy skull and ate it, each piece representing one year from their lives gone, one year to give to their friend. In a flash of light, the pile of soot that was Valon formed into the shape of the boy. The figure rushed through the catacombs toward the exit, rushed toward Dartz, and grabbed onto the pumpkin, zooming out of the mausoleum.

"Where's he going?" asked Mikey.

"After all this, only one place." Dartz answered. "Home sweet home."

"But we saved him, right?" asked Raphael. "Will Valon live?"

"Come with me then! Our long night journey is over!" Dartz announced. "One final game of musical chairs for all!"

He grasped his cloak and then spun around, a blur of white into a tornado that swoop the four kids into its eye. The whirlwind pushed back the rotting corpses back into their resting places, making it look as if it was untouched.

The whirlwind flew out of the mausoleum, spinning higher and higher, cutting the air as it headed toward the black cloudy sky once more.


End file.
